Naruto's True Face
by Zephias Ravenwing
Summary: What if Naruto wasn't just a dobe? And what if he decided to drop the idiot mask just after the Mizuki incident? How will the village take it? Naruto will prove that he is not just any other kid, and shouldn't be underestimated. NaruHina, NaruHarem, Sasuke/Sakura/Kiba Bashing. Dark themes. Inspired by Ackdam's Naruto One Man Team
1. Chapter 1: And So, It Begins

Author's note: hello everyone, VZ here. this is my first fic so please don't expect it to be perfect. all reviews accepted if they are actually helpful, please don't flame me without writing a suggestion. i hope you enjoy the reading.

a big part of the inspiration of this fic comes from Ackdam,, and his fic is naruto one man team. credit to him, and thanks for his good work.

Also people, I'm not a native speaker, though I do have rather good handling of the English language. Any kind of help, and constructive criticism is appreciated, but don't flame me with no reason. Please.

Also, there will be MAJOR Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba bashing. I'll give the mutt a chance at redemption, but the other two will be bashed as hell. You were warned.

Disclaimer: I'm Colombian. Naruto is a Japanese manga. Therefore I don't own it. Though I would like to. It seems i'll have to settle for this page.

Talking  
_Thinking_  
**Biju/Jutsus/Inner Sakura**  
_**Biju thoughts/Jutsu**_  
Reading  
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"yes, yes. I get it. yes, I'm taking out the trash. no, i'm not throwing out dad's present, okay!"

the man closed the door without noticing the shadow hiding close silent stalker approached the newly-dumped trash and started searching through it. after some time he found some scrolls and ninja gear, just what he was searching for. he quickly pocketed his findings and ran away as silently as possible, just before the door opened again.

"no, i don't see anyone. Must have been your imagination, mom."

meanwhile, the silent stalker traveled to the rooftops to his hidden stash. he had learned that if he avoided the streets, it was easier to avoid the glares and the beatings. he arrived at an undeveloped piece of terrain. cutting his palm he placed blood on the floor, and it suddenly opened, leading to a cavernous, open space. once there, the kid started taking out and organized all his new materials. he didn't want to go out but dawn was approaching. sighing, he left his hideout, putting up his act. within seconds, the stealthy shadow became the loudmouthed academy dobe. But the time of revealing his true face was approaching. how surprised will the village be, how surprised indeed.

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dawn broke in Konohagakure, and one Uzumaki Naruto was getting ready for his graduation exam. it was his third try at becoming a genin, but Naruto kept trying and never gave up. he put on his bright orange, "kill me" jumpsuit and ran out to the academy. he was confident in that he could pass this time.

the written part he could barely pass, but he was he would pass. written work wasn't his forte. he could ace the Taijutsu portion easily, but that was the easiest part overall. Genjutsu he would fail. Hard. He had way too much chakra for genjutsu. so everything fell on the Ninjutsu portion. he could pull it off. Kawarimi and henge were easy, and he finally managed to get his chakra control down enough to do a decent **bushin no jutsu**. with this conviction he silently waited to be called for the exam, earning him strange looks from his classmates.

as he had foreseen, he passed the written part, but barely. he aced the taijutsu session, getting second place just behind that stuck-up asshole Sasuke. in genjutsu he failed miserably, but in the special ability session he made up for it when he built five high quality traps in under three minutes. He had the villagers and all the traps they put in his apartment to thank for that. it was finally time for the ninjutsu part of the test. The kawarimi and henge were piece of cake, but when he tried the **bushin no jutsu**his clone only lasted about a second. It took a bit for him to notice what had happened. Mizuki-teme had messed up his chakra flow, that bastard.

"Uzumaki Naruto, failed" said a sad Iruka

"oh come on Iruka-sensei, hi did a workable clone this time and really pushed himself hard! let him pass" said a lightly smiling Mizuki, while inside he was grinning. Everything was going according to his plan.

"Im sorry but the rules are the rules, i want to pass him but if he can't make a workable bushin he can't be a ninja" with that Naruto left, snarling. That bastard Mizuki would pay. he was thinking what pranks to pull on him until said object of his hate approached him.

"Naruto, I have a proposal for you..."  
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Sarutobi Hiruzen, third hokage of Konoha, was sitting down in his office, trying to finish yet another infinite pile of paperwork. he was sighing at the though of more paperwork after this when suddenly someone barged into the room. Hiruzen lifted his head to meet the sight of a blonde kid in an orange jumpsuit.

"hello Naruto, what brings you here?" asked the old leader.

"I'm sorry jiji but i have to do this" Naruto said, and suddenly he went through a series of hand seals and...

"**Oiroke No Jutsu**!" exclaimed the kid, and suddenly transformed into a naked blonde with two pigtails, who made a cute expression at the old hokage. in this circumstance, Hiruzen did the only thing any man would do.

he got a huge nosebleed and fainted.

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"i still can't believe that the HOKAGE fell for that trick" said naruto as he arrived at his destination, a hidden shack in the forest outside the village.

He had stolen the scroll of seals, just as Mizuki hat told him to. He really didn't want to work with the bastard, but doing as he said was the only way of capturing him. Naruto knew that the make-up exam didn't exist, he wasn't an idiot.

"well, lets see" he opened the scroll "Kagebushin no Jutsu? sounds interesting, I might be able to learn this before i get caught"

closing the scroll he started practicing the jutsu. It wasn't so hard in his opinion, and he couldn't get the reason they made it a kinjutsu. once he was able to pull it off, he got an idea.

"I might not be able to learn all jutsus, but I can easily copy the scroll!" he cried as realization hit him.

Naruto sat down and opened the scroll of seals. beside it he placed an empty jumbo-sized scroll and started his work. He finished fast, since he had loads of experience copying scrolls. when you live constantly getting scrolls form the trash, you really want to make another, cleaner scroll really fast. when he finished he brought out a sealing scroll and sealed the copy into it, before pocketing the scroll.  
not long after he had finished, he heard the telltale sound of footsteps through the forest. sighing, he got ready to confront the traitor.

"Naruto why did you steal the scroll of seals!" shouted a pissed iruka at his favorite student.

Naruto was startled, since he wasn't expecting anyone to find him except Mizuki. But at the same time Iruka seemed to have the special ability to always find him in five minutes flat...

"I was doing my make-up exam, Iruka-sensei. Mizuki-sensei told me about it. Did he send you to check if I was able to do it?" hinted Naruto to his sensei. He wanted Iruka to find out, he really did, but he just couldn't flat out tell him, right?

"Make-up exam? What are you talking about?" asked a thoroughly confused Iruka. he had never heard of such a thing. Suddenly he heard someone coming and got battle-ready. He noticed Naruto doing the same, that boy was seriously underestimated.

Out of the woods came a very confident looking Mizuki. He was sure his plane had worked perfectly, and now he only had to kill that demon. But as usual, he was wrong. That meddlesome Iruka was there. This was going to cause trouble...

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After an enlightening exchange of words and giant shuriken, Naruto fled the clearing. He was really confused, scared and pissed. And who wouldn't? When you're suddenly told that you've been sort of evil-demon-containment-cage since the day you were born, and that's the reason everyone hates you, it would be strange not to feel anything. Knowing it wasn't your fault doesn't help either. or seeing your favorite teacher and brother figure get almost killed protecting you, by the way.

to put it it bluntly, Naruto was confused as hell. He had no idea what to do. That until he heard talking. cautiously positioning himself so that he could hear without being heard, he caught on Mizuki and Iruka's voices. Mizuki was taunting Iruka with the death of his parents, which were apparently killed my the Kyubi, the demon-thing he just happened to have sealed inside him. Naruto expected iruka to proclaim how much he hated him, but instead Iruka had defended him! and Mizuki-teme dared to call his sensei a fool. And threatened to kill him as well! Naruto was not going to simply stay quiet about that.

jumping forward, he kicked Mizuki in the face. the teme had really bad skills for a chunin.

"stay away from Iruka-sensei!" Shouted Naruto, reverting to his academy mask. revealing everything to Iruka would make tomorrow a lot less fun.

"Naruto, run!" Cried Iruka. He was not going to lose Naruto to that psycho. Sure, he was mean to the boy at first. He saw him as the monster that killed his parents, but after observing him in the academy, he realized the boy was exactly that: a boy. And one severely mistreated, by the way. Naruto had come a long way since then, but he was no match for a chunin...

Or so he thought. He had to check his eyes. Seeing an academy dead-last beat the living daylights out of a chunin is not an every day occurrence. And if the thought wasn't bizarre enough, Naruto used a jonin-level technique! It was official from now on. He was giving Naruto his graduation pronto.

"Iruka-sensei, are you alright?" Naruto finally stopped mincing the teme into dust, and was checking on Iruka.

"Naruto, close your eyes for a second" ordered Iruka. Naruto did as commanded, and felt Iruka remove his goggles. Shortly after, he felt him wrapping something where the goggles had been. He already knew what it was, but played ignorant. He couldn't blow his mask now. That was for tomorrow.

When he opened his eyes he was shocked to find Iruka wearing his goggles. now THAT was unexpected. He smiled slightly at the fact that Konoha's prankmaster had been pranked.

"Iruka-sensei, why are you wearing my goggles? I want them back!" asked the teen feigning ignorance and irritation.

"Naruto, check your forehead please" commandeered Iruka. Naruto did as ordered and found a metal plate. He immediately broke into a grin. Three years spent in the academy for this, and damn if it wasn't worth it.

"Uzumaki Naruto, congratulations. You have successfully graduated from the ninja academy of Konoha" announced Iruka.

"now, can you take me to the hokage, please? I can't move" added the older man sheepishly a little while after.

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Hiruzen Sarutobi had a very interesting day. He had gotten a break from his paperwork, but before he could do anything, Kotetsu and Izumo had arrived with the information on the new Academy graduates. Which meant even MORE paperwork. And then Naruto just had to come and use his ero-ninjutsu on him. And well, Hiruzen was a man though and through, so he fainted from blood loss. Just imagine his surprise when he found that the scroll of seals was missing, and the whole shinobi forces was in a complete mess.

He was leading a search team to the forest to look for Naruto, when he heard footsteps coming from the trees. And out of the forest came a beat up naruto, carrying an injured Iruka over his shoulder, the scroll of seals in his hands. He waved at his team to stop, and waited for Naruto, since he seemed to want to talk

"Naruto, why did you take the scroll of seals?" asked the old leader"I'm sorry jiji, but Mizuki-teme tricked me, saying I could graduate if I learned a technique from the scroll. Looking back, that was pretty stupid of me. I mean, if there was truly a test like that, why wasn't it offered to me before?" answered Naruto, feigning sheepishness. However, hi did send a look towards the hokage for about a second, while he gave the scroll back to him. There was a single meaning behind it: I'll tell you later.

Sarutobi took the scroll back, and nodded. He had known that Naruto was stronger than he looked for a while now, but kept quiet. However, if Naruto had managed to beat a chunin, then he really didn't know how strong the young blonde really was.

"thanks Naruto. Now, judging by his hitai-ate, it seems naruto did indeed graduate, right Iruka?" asked the old leader happily. He was glad Naruto had finally become a ninja

"yes, hokage-sama. Uzumaki Naruto failed the exam, but we later found out he had ben sabotaged by the traitor Mizuki. He showed great prowess, determination, and used a Jounin-level technique, which should be impossible for an Academy Trainee. He also beat traitor Mizuki, a chunin-level ninja. Overall, I felt the academy had nothing left to teach him. And after that display, he deserved his graduation" the hokage expected most of what was said, but he nearly had a stroke at the mention of a jounin technique. He chuckled. Naruto had one-upped them all again.

"_I really need to learn more about my almost-grandson_"

"All right, then I'm granting genin Uzumaki Naruto an A-rank mission completion. The scroll of seals holds many secrets and it could cause the village a lot of problems if it was stolen. As a reward, genin Uzumaki Naruto will also have permission to keep the "object" he acquired in the mission, however I expect him to come with me and give a detailed mission report. Is that agreeable, genin Uzumaki?" stated the Kage. Now it was Naruto's time to be surprised at his jiji. He was sure no one knew of him copying the scroll of seals. But jiji seemed to have no problem, so it was alright.

"Alright jiji, but we get Iruka-sensei to the hospital first, okay" he demanded. There was no bloody way his sensei was ging to die after being saved.

"sounds fair. Now lets go, or Iruka will faint from blood loss" noted Sarutobi, and with that, they left.

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After dropping Iruka at the hospital and dismissing all the search teams, Sarutobi and Naruto arrived at the hokage's office. Sarutobi sat in his chair and looked at the blond.

"now Naruto, what is this I heard of a jounin-level technique?" asked the hokage, full ofcuriosity

"well, Mizuki told me I needed to learn a technique, so I did just that. It was the **Kagebushin No Jutsu**. And by the way, why is it considered a kinjutsu? It was pretty simple, and is way more useful than the lame academy version" answered the kid. The hokage could see his reasoning but could see Naruto didn't read all about the technique.

"Naruto, anyone with normal chakra reserves would die from chakra exhaustion using that jutsu. It divides the user's chakra evenly between the clones and the user. However, with your absurdly big chakra reserves, the jutsu is perfect for you" Sarutobi then suddenly got a stern look on his face "I guess you know about the Kyubi?"

"yes, but I already accepted the thought. And finally I have some answers about why the villagers hate me so much. It was quite a shock, tough" answered the jinchuriki, while unconsciously rubbing his belly. Sarutobi ruffled the kid's hair, and smiled. Naruto was ging to go far.

"ok then Naruto, your pay will be transfered to your account. Just sign here and we'll be done" he said as he headed Naruto a paper, which the young ninja quickly signed "congratulations on your first successful mission. And Naruto, isn't it time to drop your mask? Some of us want to se how strong you really are"

Naruto grinned at his jiji, nodded and left. Now that that was done, Sarutobi had something to organize,

"_With Naruto, the number of graduates becomes non-divisible by three, so the most reasonable choice would be to leave Naruto as the odd one out. However, since I believe Naruto is stronger than most genin and he knows the __**Kagebushin no jutsu**__, I'm going to leave him as a one-man cell, but confined to the village until I can be sure he can survive outside_" decided the hokage. With that out of the way he turned his chair... To find more paperwork waiting for him. This was going to be a long, long day.

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Meanwhile, Naruto headed to a secluded part of the village. There, he placed his hands on the ground and muttered something. The 'ground' rose, revealing that it was actually a metallic trapdoor. Naruto jumped inside and closed the door. He was now inside his hideout.

He had stumbled upon this place some years ago, when running from a mob. Afterwards, he cleaned it out, got rid of anything he thought was not useful, and made it into his personal training center, vault, and stash. He had filled it with weapons and scrolls taken from the trash, training grounds and in cases, dead bodies from the forest of death. It didn't bother him, though.

Quickly going through his scroll of seals copy, he found out the user retained the memories of the Kagebushin when it was dispelled. He grinned. With this, he could learn all new styles of taijutsu, practice jutsu, learn jutsu, learn weapon styles, and so much more. He decided to use this ability right away. So he went into the armory and picked a ninjato, a jutte, a pIr of tonfa, a staff and two Chinese dao. He then took out some scrolls with katas for said weapons.

Grabbing the ninjato and strapping it to himself, he created 50 clones. To his delight, the weapons also got cloned. So he gave them the scroll and had them start practicing. He than did the same with the other weapons. He already knew how to use a ninjato, but had his clones practice a new style.

Satisfied, he got out of his hideout, sealed the door, and headed to the shopping district. Tomorrow everyone was in for a rude shock. He had decided to drop his mask, and it probably wouldn't sit well with some people, but screw them.

The thing was finding a ninja store that wouldn't overprice him. He saw a promising store and entered, finding it to be a serious ninja store. There was everything from exotic weapons to basic shuriken. They also had a great assortment of ninja clothes. He approached the counter and was greeted by the sight of a cute girl dressed in some kind of combat Chinese shirt. her hair was tied into two buns.

"hello, my name is Tenten. What are you looking for" asked the girl  
"Nothing, just looking from some clothes. This jumpsuit was all I could get before, and it's an eyesore" answered Naruto. He had a feeling he had met this Tenten somewhere.

"You're a ninja?" questioned Tenten, trying to remember his fellow shinobi

"fresh out of the academy, yes" Answered Naruto humbly

"well, I'm Tenten Higurashi from last year's graduation. Go ahead and take a look at the clothes, and tell me if you need any help" she offered. Naruto now remembered. She was one of the few who were nice to him last year. He smiled a bit at that

Some time later Naruto came back to the counter wearing a black shirt with a mesh undershirt. Above it he wore an open black jacket with a red spiral like the one in his jumpsuit on its right shoulder. It was designed to hide the wearer in dark areas, and was made of a material that didn't hinder movement. The sleeves stopped halfway down the forearms. He also wore ANBU pants, and combat shoes. He had on black fingerless gloves, and had moved his hitai-ate to his left shoulder. On his leg there was a kunai holster, and he had a shuriken pouch on his other leg. He was holding more copies of said outfit in his hand. Seeing him like that, Tenten couldn't help but blush. Naruto looked good.

After paying, and surprisingly, without being overcharged, Naruto left the store, and a blushing Tenten, behind. He then went to Ichiraku's ramen for dinner. When Ayame saw him arrive, she instantly stood in front of him and greeted him

"how was your day, Naru-kun?" asked the waitress

"well, it was a little crazy, Ayame-nee-chan. But I graduated from the academy after all!"

"that's great, Naruto! First round's on me!" shouted Teuchi from the back, where he was cooking  
"That's great, Naruto-kun! You'll continue getting stronger and reach your dream. I know it" said Ayame, while bringing him the first bowl of ramen.  
"thanks Ayame-nee-chan. Itadakimasu!" and he dug in. In between bowls, he narrated his day to Ayame, who listened intently at everything Naruto said, immersed in the tale.  
Twenty-five bowls later, Naruto said goodbye to the Ichirakus and headed home. Meanwhile he thought about what he would do tomorrow. The uchiha teme was in for a reality call, which he couldn't wait to give. And he could finally drop that fake crush for the pink-haired banshee. She could be cute, but her personality ruined that. And that mutt was going to leave his hime alone or else...

And Hinata, his hime. He was finally able to reciprocate her feelings. He was sure she would faint once or twice throughout the day. But her fainting was so bloody cute. Still, he would have to make her gain confidence in herself. She was strong and beautiful, but her clan had made her really shy. Well, that came in later. For now, he would ask her out, and if anyone tried to object, then they someone would face his fury. Especially the mutt.

Taking a detour, he went to his hideout and checked how his clones were doing. Since they were still training, he went home to prepare for the night. After closing the door, he grabbed his ninjato for safety. After all. It wasn't below the villagers to thy and kill him in his sleep. He then sat in lotus position and prepared to rest. Only rest. He had gained the ability to keep aware of his surroundings while 'asleep' so that he could escape an attack, gas or other things. Closing his eyes, he went into this trance, his brain actively thinking about tomorrow. He had no idea how important that day would be for his life.

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Well, that's that. I hope it was good and to your liking. It is a little short, though. But oh well.

Well guys, I'm officially a fanfiction writer. Please help me get better. Please. Porfavorcito. And please don't be mean. I'm still starting.

To all of my friend in here, this is the story I decided to post first. Please let me know of your opinions. And DEA, just 'cause it's naruto doesn't mean you can't check it out.

Well, Read and Review please! If you read, please review. Even if it's only "I like it", but please review. Please? Yeah, thanks.

And Ackdam, credits to you bro. You're awesome.

VZ out.


	2. Chapter 2: Surprise, Surprise

A/N: Oi people! First I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed the story. I had over a thousand hits, fourteen reviews, including one from LEAF RANGER! Forty favs and fifty follows. For this, I thank everyone who took the time to read my efforts at writing decent fanfiction. Here's chapter two for your enjoyment.

Also, I'm looking for a beta since, well, Colombian English and all that. Anyone interested?

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Biju/Inner Sakura"**

"_**Biju Thinking"**_

**Jutsu**

Reading

Disclaimer: Maybe someday, I can weasel the rights to Naruto out of Kishimoto... Till then, though, it's not mine

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Naruto opened his eyes to find himself in some kind of sewer. He sighed. This was probably his mindscape. Which meant the damn fox would probably be here.

"Oh well, nothing to it. I guess I´ll just see what it wants"

He walked down the sewers until he came upon some gigantic cage-like structure. It just screamed containment seal. Walking closer, he felt an aura of malice and hate, but also …comfort? And sorrow, it seemed. He slipped through the gates, expecting to be eaten at any moment, but instead he heard sobs.

Looking around, he saw a figure, curled up in a ball close at the back of the cage. Looking closer, he saw it was a woman. She had long, red hair that reached all the way to her knees, and pale, white skin. He could see she was crying. And he hated seeing women crying. So Naruto approached her and asked

"What's wrong?"

She lifted her face to look at him and he choked. In front of him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. More than his hime, and that was something. Every single faction just screamed 'angelic'. Everything but her eyes, though. Her eyes were deep crimson, with catlike pupils. However, he found that they gave her some kind of exotic beauty. However, as she saw him, she sobbed and started crying harder. The woman slowly stood up, and behind her, nine crimson, swirling tails seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

"I-I'm sorry… I-I *sob* I r-ruined your childhood… Please f-forgive m-me" and with that, she hugged him tight and started crying on his shoulder. Then Naruto finally made the connection. The Kyuubi, the scorn of Konohagakure, who was sealed inside his gut, was a vixen. And a DAMN hot vixen at that. But Kyuubi´s acts contradicted all he knew about her. She was supposed to be some kind of demonic embodiment of destruction, not a crying woman, for Kami´s sake!

Nevertheless, he wasn´t going to leave any woman alone in her despair. And this one seemed to be crying for him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. She seemed surprised by this action, and lifted her beautiful face to look at him. Tears of blood ran down her cheeks, which he wiped with his hand.

"W-why don't you h-hate me? I-I've hurt you so much" Sobbed the Kyuubi

"Because it wasn´t your fault the villagers wouldn´t leave me alone. It´s not your fault they couldn't let go of their misogynic hatred. So don't blame yourself. I don't blame you" Naruto told her. She hugged him tight, while muttering ´sorry´ over and over again. However, she seemed to have stopped sobbing.

"However, I do want to know two things" said Naruto. When Kyuubi nodded, he went on "First, Kyuu-chan, do you have a name?"

Kyuubi looked shocked, and blushed a bit. No one had asked her that in a long time. Only Kushi-chan, her past jinchuriki and Naruto´s mother, had bothered to ask that. She sobbed, thinking that she had robbed Naruto of her mother as well, but was happy the blonde wanted to know her better.

"Yes, my name is Kurama" she answered, conflicting emotions in her voice "now what other thing do you want to know, Naruto-kun"

"Well, I wanted to know the reason you attacked the village" he asked, truly curious. To him, she seemed too loving to simply attack the village. He regretted asking it instantly, as she seemed to get down a bit, before starting to speak

"When I was born, I was as the legends say. A humongous monster, full of hatred and darkness. However, your first Hokage subdued me and sealed me inside his wife, Uzumaki Mito" Naruto was surprised at his surname being used, and decided to ask her about it later. "I didn´t change much while with Mito, but then she got old and another Uzumaki was brought from Uzugakure to replace her as jinchuriki. The Uzumaki have Biju-supressing chakra, you see. That's when I changed. I befriended my new jailer, Kushina Uzumaki. She became the only creature I had ever cared for. And then she met this man. He was the local genius, a blonde by the name of Minato Namikaze, who grew to become the Fourth Hokage. He was kind, careful and Kushi-chan started developing a crush on him. Then she was kidnapped by Kumo, who wanted to use me as a weapon. However, Minato noticed that there were strands of her hair making a trail, and suspected something. He then saved Kushi-chan, saying she only noticed the trail she left because her hair was so pretty. And the two fell for each other. They were your parents, Naruto-kun, and they loved you more than anything" Naruto was surprised at hearing that. He closed his eyes, and tears started falling down his cheeks. He did have parents, and they loved him. Not only that, they were important figures! His father wasn't a coward, but the village´s hero. His mother wasn´t a whore, she was a ninja! Naruto could not be any happier.

"The day of your birth, the seal weakened. It happens to every female jinchuriki. But a masked man came in and broke the seal. He looked at me, and I saw a red eye with three tomoe swirling around it. Then all goes blank. The next I remember is waking up inside your mind. I´ve been trying to help you ever since, seeing all the pain you had to go through, all because of me!" she cried out.

"Kura-Chan, it wasn't your fault. Don´t blame yourself. And it was only till I found my hideout. It could have been much worse. Also, I owe you for preventing my death and saving some other things…" he trailed off. Kurama shivered at what he had to go through, but couldn't help but smile at his thanks. Naruto hugged her again… only to finally notice she was naked. Uh Oh.

"K-KURA-CHAN!" he cried, blushing madly "WHY ARE YOU NAKED?"

"Well, it's more confortable like this" she blushed a bit, but smirked "Do you like what you see, Naru-kun?"

Naruto started trembling. Then Kurama realized her mistake. She quickly thought about getting some clothes, and they materialized on her person. Running up to the blonde, she hugged him.

"I´m sorry, Naru-kun. I didn't mean to bring back bad memories. I´m sorry" she cried in panic.

"I-it's okay, i-it's just, I…" he stuttered. He hated this. Not even inside his own mind could he be normal. What the villagers did to him was so bad that he couldn't even trust his own mind.

"Don't worry, you'll get better. I'll help you bet better, and we'll show those villagers who's boss, okay? Now I believe you should leave. Can't be late to your first day as shinobi, can you?" she giggled. Naruto pouted at that, but felt her pushing him out of his conscious. Deciding to have the last laugh, he concentrated and changed the sewer into a vast meadow, with fruity trees and the village as a background. The landscape was mesmerizing. But what made it worth was seeing was Kurama-Chan's surprised and happy face. He was sure she'd keep that face for quite a while

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Naruto stood up from his meditative position, thinking of his tenant.

"_Damn, she's beautiful."_

"**Thanks for the compliment, Naru-kun"**

"_K-Kura-Chan? We can talk like this?"_

"**So it seems, Naru-kun"**

"_Awesome"_

"**Well, Naru-kun, what are we doing today?"**

"_Well, have some time till the meeting so I'll go and set a training schedule for my clones. The __**Kagebushin No Jutsu **__has so much versatility. It´s such a great training tool"_

"**Well, what are we waiting for?"**

Hearing that, Naruto quickly changed into his new clothes and left his apartment. He decided to take the rooftops. After all, what good was a secret hideout when discovered?

Hiding in the shadows, Naruto quickly arrived at the hideout's hidden door. He smeared some blood on the security seal, opening it. Getting inside, he was surprised to find that the clones he had left there training the day before were still going at it. That was close to twelve hours of constant training, multiplied by fifty. Per weapon. That meant 3000 hours of training in one night!

He started giggling. The laughs started getting stronger, until he was rolling on the floor laughing like a maniac. If this was fifty clones in one night, how much could he learn in say, a month, with 200 clones? The possibilities were endless. If he played his cards right he could become a master at pretty much everything he wanted.

Finally composing himself, Naruto dispelled all the clones, only to faint from information overload. Ten minutes later, the blonde woke up with a mighty headache. So dispelling the clones at the same time was a bad idea. And judging by Kurama´s reaction, she knew about this.

"_Kura-Chan, if you don't stop laughing right now, I'm turning my mind into a magma pit" _he thought, effectively shutting her up.

Still, that changed nothing. He would just have to set a schedule on dispelling as well. Grabbing a pair of Dao from the wall, he was surprised at the smoothness and precision of his movements. It was as if he had trained for months. Naruto chuckled. Limitless possibilities started forming in front of his eyes. This was going to be so much fun.

Walking into the armory, he picked some of the trickiest weapons to use: Kusarigama. Grabbing a training version and a real version, he wrapped the chains around his body, and went to a secluded room. There, he created a hundred clones. Separating them in groups of ten, he sent each group to practice a different set of moves. Approaching the wall, he then took out a sealing scroll, opened it, and unsealed a large piece of cardboard. Fastening it to the wall with kunai, he wrote a dispelling schedule that gave each group an appointed hour, with ten minute interludes between each. This would be his general dispelling schedule, used for every training group.

He then went to other rooms, setting training teams for everything he thought he would need in the field. A room had clones playing shogi, go, reversi, chess, poker, and other games to strengthen his strategy and overall awareness. After all, since he could create a limitless amount of soldiers, he had to coordinate them well.

Another room had clones practicing different chakra control exercises. Nothing complicated, like tree-walking. Just simpler exercises like the leaf-lifting technique. He didn't want his clones to dispel when falling, causing the loss of potential training time. This was to increase the control he had over his massive chakra reserves.

The next room had clones practicing calligraphy. He had a natural talent for seals, but even geniuses can get better through training. And also, this way he trained his concentration. Something he really needed from time to time.

After that came a more open room, in which he had clones practice Ninjutsu. He had found out that his primary affinity was wind, and his secondary affinity was lightning. That didn't mean he couldn't learn the others, though. It was just harder. A LOT harder. In this room, the setting was slightly different. The clones were divided by element, and each element was divided in four teams of five. Still, Naruto thought this way would be more efficient overall. After all, if a moderate-sized fireball hits your opponent head on, it'll probably still kill the target. Being versatile was more important to him at the moment. However, at the moment he had all teams doing basic elemental nature training for their respective element.

Finally, there was the 'library' room. Here, the hundred clones were each reading a book on ninja theory. After all, who knows when he might need the textbook answer, or just simply the theory behind it?

Satisfied, Naruto left his hideout/training center and headed towards the Academy. No longer bothering to hide, he noticed confused looks mingled between the cold stares. Seems they didn't expect the 'dobe' to change, huh? The village was in for a rude shock.

Entering the Academy, he headed to what used to be his classroom. As he opened the door, he scanned the room for threats. There was no one other that the newly-promoted genin, so he relaxed a little bit. However, when he tried to enter, Naruto found himself blocked by one Inuzuka Kiba.

"What are you doing here, dobe?! This is just for those who graduated, not trash like YOU!" snarled the feral genin. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the mutt's stupidity.

"Are you blind, mutt? I have a hitai-ate, which means I did graduate. Now I recommend you move out of the way" Naruto shot back. He just couldn't deal with this idiot.

"Why´d they let you graduate anyway? You'll just die on your first mission. I bet your parents were so inept they died stabbing themselves with their own weapons. That if they were ninja. Oh wait, your mother wasn´t a kunoichi, she was a WHORE!" the Inuzuka grinned, thinking he had won this verbal fight.

However, everyone on the room nearly fainted when they felt the wave of killing intent emanating from the blonde. Abuse to himself, in any way, he could handle. However, insult his parents and there would be hell to pay. And right now, having just discovered their true identity, made him even angrier. No one was going to insult HIS MOTHER and not receive retribution. And adding the fact that Kurama didn't appreciate a kid badmouthing her best friend... You get the picture. His sky-blue eyes suddenly seemed cold, and the glare he shot at Kiba made the mutt flinch.

"Inuzuka, do you know who my parents were? No. so shut up about things you don't know about. I won't let you stomp my idea of my parents into the dirt. Now, I'm getting tired of your obstruction, so if you don't mind…" Naruto smashed his fists into the Inuzuka´s solar plexus. The impact sent Kiba flying through the air, crashing into the wall. He then fell into a heap at the bottom, surprisingly only bruised from such a hit. He couldn't stand up, though.

Of course, Naruto already knew who his parents were, but decided to keep it a secret. After all, he believed the Hokage had a reason to hide their identities from him. He would confront him for it, though.

Walking forward as if the fight had not happened at all, Naruto went into the classroom. He was met with curious looks, and some blushes from the members of the female persuasion. It seemed his new attire was working. He smirked.

From a corner, one Sasuke Uchiha was glaring at the blond. How dare the dobe take his spotlight. He stood up, and with his nose up in the air, he walked closer to Naruto

"Stop, dobe"

Naruto, just kept on walking

"_I think I heard a bug buzz…"_

"**Don't worry, Naru-Kun. It'll go away soon enough"**

"I said stop, dobe!" Shouted the Uchiha, and grabbed the blonde's wrist, trying to hold him in place.

He nearly pissed his pants as he was hit by a wave of concentrated KI. Blue eyes met coal eyes.

"Sasuke, I suggest you release me, before you find your arm going away for jubilation" Naruto said coldly, while unsheathing a ninjato he picked up at his hideout. He didn't have time for petty squabbles.

"NARUTO, HOW DARE YOU THREATEN SASUKE-KUN?!" screeched the pink-haired banshee known as Sakura Haruno. "YOU AREN'T WORTHY TO EVEN LICK THE SOLES OF HIS SHOES!"

It was a bit harsher than her usual response, but Sakura knew this would destroy Naruto, so he would let Sasuke-kun and herself alone, to finally show their love for each other to the world. She didn't expect the blonde's reaction at all.

"Shut your trap, Haruno, before you make your precious 'Sasuke-Kun' deaf along with half the village. You don't even deserve to be called kunoichi"

"I'm this graduation's best Kunoichi!" she shot back, only to find cold blue eyes gazing at her soul, as if judging her.

"Book smarts mean nothing in the real world, Haruno. You are probably the worst kunoichi in this graduation class when taking into account practical experience. As you are now, you'll probably be raped and then killed on your first C-rank" A really cold response, but Naruto had grown tired of her stupidity. He then felt the Uchiha move, and quickly blocked the kunai strike directed at his neck. Subduing the so called 'rookie-of-the-year' with one hand, he placed his ninjato close to the Uchiha's jugular.

"You should be careful too, teme. After all, I don't think the Uchiha will be revived to their 'former glory' without someone to sire the next generation" and with that, Naruto let the trembling genin go. He went towards the chair of the pale-eyed girl who had been watching him since he entered the room. Getting close to her, he pulled out the chair besides her and sat down "hello, Hinata"

Letting out a small 'eep', Hinata tried to hold back the blush that threatened to light her face up like a light bulb. She was happy he had finally revealed his true self. Yes, he knew Naruto was faking his attitude. When you stalk someone, you tend to find out some secrets, after all. What she didn't know was that he had changed his attire, and they came as a pleasant surprise. She didn't know he could use a ninjato either. But it just made him a lot hotter to her eyes. She found herself fighting down perverted thoughts. However, pulling herself together, she managed to let out a small "h-hel-llo, N-Naruto-k-kun"

Smiling at her, Naruto gazed into her eyes. "Hinata-Chan, I was wondering... Do you want to come grab a bite with me later today? I'd like to know you better"

Now Hinata believed herself to be in a dream, and found herself fighting down a blush, perverted thoughts, and the urge to faint. Despite her efforts, she failed miserably, and promptly fainted. Naruto, knowing what this meant, decided to prank her a bit. Lifting her, he grinned before whispering to her "what happened, Hinata-Chan"

"I had a beautiful dream in which Naruto-kun asked me out, but I fainted before answering" Hinata, still dazed, answered almost immediately and, surprisingly, without stuttering.

"Well, that wasn't a dream, but I guess your answer's yes?" Naruto asked. She could only nod dumbly, to shocked to say anything. Here was her crush asking her out. She convinced herself she was still dreaming.

"Okay, then meet me at Ichiraku's at six" Naruto told her. Almost immediately, he found himself being pulled out of his chair by the mutt. Apparently, he had managed enough strength to stand up. However, it seemed what happened at the doorway wasn't enough to make him understand his place.

"Stay away from her, you idiot! She isn't yours!" he snarled. However, all he received was an emotionless stare.

"Tell me Inuzuka. Has she ever asked you out? Or returned any of your advances? No? Then she isn't yours either. I understand that within the Inuzuka clan, if a male proves he is stronger than a female and all other aspiring mates, then he can have her. In both men and canine this applies. However, the outside world is not like that. No means no. And forcing yourself on a woman is a crime. So I suggest you stop" he chided. These idiots just needed everything fed to them slowly. "A woman is like a pearl. A beautiful gem that one must take care of, because if mistreated or ignored, both lose their beauty. However, women are not possessions. They are human beings, and must be treated as such. They are capable of taking decisions, and their opinions are important. So just because you want a girl for yourself, it doesn't mean she has to give herself to you. You must respect her, try to win her affections, and then you MAY have a chance. If I find out you're trying to force yourself on any woman, you'll face me, understand?"

Inside the seal, Kurama couldn't be prouder of her secret beloved. The fact that he respected women to that extent made her swell with love for him. _**"Naru-kun, you truly are one of a kind"**_

However, Kiba thought otherwise, and forgetting what happened on his past encounter with Naruto, attacked said blonde. He was promptly rewarded with a punch in the face, followed by a kick in the gut. Again he was sent flying, this time hitting the Uchiha, who didn't take it kindly. Angry, Sasuke kicked Kiba the head, knocking him out, before attacking Naruto. However, it seemed the Uchiha could not conceive anyone being better than him. Attacking with a sloppy form, he was rewarded with a pommel strike on the chin, knocking him out as well.

Naruto sheathed his ninjato, and sat down again. However, he forgot to cover his ears.

"NARUTO-BAKA, HOW DARE YOU USE SUCH AN UNDERHANDED ATTACK AGAINST SASUKE-KUN!" cried the banshee, instantly waking up the two unconscious genin, while making everyone else cringe at her volume.

"First, that wasn't underhanded. Second we're ninja. We are SUPPOSED to fight without rules. There is nothing like a fair fight between ninja. Ninja are expected to do everything, no matter how unfair or void of honor, to survive and complete their mission. And we are ninja now. So don't expect me to fight fairly" Naruto chastised.

_"How the hell did she even make genin?"_

**"Beats me, Naru-kun. It seems shinobi quality has lowered severely"**

It was at this moment that Iruka finally appeared. Noticing the faces of his students, as well as the glares some of Sasuke's fangirls were giving Naruto, he guessed something happened. However, leaving the thought aside, he decided to ask Naruto about it later.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, I'll start giving out the team assignments" He said to the young genin. Naruto didn't really care much, so he consciously ignored anything until he heard some known names.

"Team Seven will be Inuzuka Kiba, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke. Your jounin-sensei will be Hatake Kakashi" okay, he was definitely staying away from that team. If they met too much, he would probably end up killing one of them in frustration.

"Team Eight will be Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata, and Kurogane Izumi. Your jounin-sensei will be Yuhi Kurenai" a strange team placement, but good for Hinata, he thought. Having another girl and a woman as sensei could help Hinata. And Shino was trustworthy in his opinion. Naruto knew he would take good care of Hinata.

"Team Nine is still in circulation from last year so moving on, team ten will be Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji. Your jounin-sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma. Naruto, could you come with me for a second?" finished Iruka, while signaling to the door.

"Hey dobe, didn't you graduate?" asked Kiba sarcastically. Some laughed, but Naruto didn't care. He went out of the room with Iruka, and once outside, gave him an inquiring stare.

"Naruto, when you graduated, you messed up the numbers. Normally, this would mean that you'd have to wait for next year for a team, however, because of your performance; Hokage-Sama has given you a unique chance. If you wish so, you'll be allowed to be one a one-man team, and take missions alone, but confined to the village or the vicinity. No escort missions or things alike. Do you accept?" informed Iruka. He was surprised when the Hokage had told him about this, but was proud of his pseudo-brother. He wasn't forgetting that meeting anytime soon...

_**(Flashback No Jutsu)**_

Iruka had been called to a meeting by the Hokage. It was about the graduates, or so he was told. Arriving, he found the drafted team leaders listening to the Hokage going through the chosen teams. Slowly walking closer, he noticed the list was already ending.

"Team nine is still Maito Guy's team, so that spot is left out. Team Ten will be Sarutobi Asuma, as leader, with Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji. Team Eleven..."

"Ne, Hokage-Sama, aren't there only enough graduates for ten teams?" asked a young jounin called Mori Yousuke.

"Before, there weren't. Now though, team eleven will be one Uzumaki Naruto, with no jounin-sensei." answered the old leader

"WHAT!? Hokage-Sama, you have to be kidding! Naruto may be strong, but to take missions alone?" cried Iruka. He didn't want Naruto to be harmed. The jounin were apparently too shocked to say anything. But suddenly, the Hokage took out a camera and took pictures of their shocked faces.

"Good, now I have my blackmail" he chuckled "And to answer your question, Iruka, Naruto needs no team. Since he has his insane chakra reserves and the **Kagebushin No Jutsu**, he can create his own team. And I'll rank his skills up to mid-chunin. However, he will be confined to the village and its vicinity. He shall only leave this area with another team or as backup"

Iruka could see the Hokage's logic. However, it seemed that the thought of a one-genin team had still not registered in the jounin's brains. Quickly using his own pocket camera, he took his own blackmail. Smiling at the joke the Hokage pulled at the jounin, he left smiling. His pseudo-brother had just graduated and was already making history and breaking rules.

_**(Flashback No Jutsu, KAI)**_

Smiling at the thought, Iruka focused back on Naruto, who seemed to have his answer.

"I'll accept on one condition. Tell everyone about this. If I'm graduating, then I'll be damned if everyone thinks i didn't and mocks me for it," answered Naruto. Iruka was already expecting this, but didn't particularly like it. After all, it surely would get Naruto some animosity. But Naruto was the god of animosity handling, so Iruka guessed there wouldn't be much trouble.

"Alright, Naruto. Now let's get back inside and tell your fellow genin"

They both walked back into the room, and went back to their respective places.

"To all who are wondering, Naruto did indeed graduate. However, he was given the choice of being a one man team, since his graduating messed up our numbers, but he is skilled enough to manage this feat" Informed Iruka. As expected, his statement was met with shock, awe and anger. He saw Sasuke stand up, and knew there was going to be trouble.

"How come the dobe gets such an opportunity, and not an elite like me? He'll probably kill himself fumbling with his own kunai. Besides, he is a lowlife who doesn't deserve the title ninja and whose parents were probably scum" said the arrogant Uchiha while looking at Naruto. Iruka sighed. There was going to be soooooo much trouble.

The KI Naruto let out did not disappoint. Especially because Kurama was angry as well, since the emo had insulted her dear friends.

"Shut up, teme. You have no fucking idea who they were, so don't badmouth them. And must I remember what happened last time you got me angry? Or must I remind you?" Snarled the blonde. Some chuckled at the memory of the Uchiha's humiliation. Bit said genin got really angry. Flipping out a kunai, he jumped and stabbed Naruto in the gut. Shouts were heard as Naruto doubled over, before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Clapping was heard. Everyone turned around to see Naruto, uninjured, laying against a wall.

"Great job, teme. You have just shown everyone how worthless you are. I'm a fellow Konoha shinobi, and as so, you can't attack or try to kill me. Or does loyalty mean nothing to you, eh _Uchiha?" _said Naruto, pronouncing the word Uchiha with disgust. Seeing the current object of his hate unscathed, Sasuke tried to attack again, only to find a ninjato pointing at his left eye. "Stay still, teme, before we find out how easy awakening the **Sharingan** becomes without any eyes for it to manifest in. Now, since I have no jounin sensei to wait for, I'm leaving. Also, I believe that a jounin is here"

And it was true, Kurenai had arrived. "Team eight, come with me please" she said. Hinata, Shino and Izumi walked to the door, however, Kiba tried to slap Hinata's ass. His hand was stopped by Naruto, who sent the mutt a glare before leaving.

In the classroom stood all the remaining teams, who didn't understand when Naruto had become so strong, and why had his personality changed so much.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At the Hokage's office, Sarutobi was again fighting against the dreaded enemy of all leaders, paperwork. He was so entranced, thinking about how to destroy the behemoth of paper and ink, that he failed to notice the blonde-haired kid that barged into his office. Until said genin threw a water balloon at his face, that is.

"NARUTO, WHAT THE HELL?!" shouted the Hokage, while inside he was happy to get an excuse to escape from paperwork hell.

"Sorry jiji. Couldn't resist the prank opportunity. You know, for old times' sake?" said Naruto sheepishly. He knew deep down, the Hokage was grateful for what he did. "Also, I have some questions, and I'm guessing you do too. So, what is it?"

"Thanks for bringing that out, Naruto" Sarutobi was thinking about what to ask first. Naruto had changed so much in the past hours, he didn't know if he really knew the blond.

"How did you get so strong, kid? Who taught you? I must seriously nominate them for jounin-sensei or academy instructor" seeing Naruto's blank face, he started to get worried.

"There was someone, right? I mean, you skills are not something one just picks up. So who was your sensei?" Sarutobi was deadly serious. So he was shocked when the blond started giggling. Half a minute later, Naruto was in hysterics. It was as if what Sarutobi had just said was the most hilarious thing ever.

"T-Teacher?" The blond said between laughs "Sarutobi-jiji, no one in this village gives a damn about me! They wouldn't teach me worth shit! They try to force me to eat shit daily, damnit. All I learned, I learned alone. And I couldn't even buy the supplies; I had to search the trash to get them"

"One thing you must understand, jiji, is that I have always been mistreated" continued Naruto, suddenly very serious. "When I was young, they kicked me out of the orphanage. I had to live in the streets for about two years, before you gave me my apartment. And the villagers tried to hurt me whenever they saw me. Because of the Kyuubi, who by the way is named Kurama, I have no scars or permanent damage from back then. However, it still hurt, and since everything I was sold was overpriced and rotten, I learned to scavenge. One of the reasons I love Ichiraku's is because they always treated me fairly. However, when I was about eight years old, I found this hideout when running from a mob. Inside were pretty damn horrible things, but I had suffered worse, so I cleaned the place out and turned it into my hideout. On the door was a seal, which later I found out was a blood-activated security seal, that was unused but I accidentally keyed it to me, since I was bleeding at the moment. Inside the hideout were ninja supplies and some books about ninja. Reading about the Yondaime Hokage in those books was what got me wanting to become a ninja"

"However, I knew I was never going to get the support or supplies I needed, so I began scavenging again, taking scrolls and tools from the trash and training grounds, and training with what I could. When I got lost, strolling around some training grounds, watching genin practice, always cleared my doubts. However I never stopped scavenging and managed to collect quite a collection of weapons from all villages. All thanks to training ground #44. Searching it after the chunin exams was always fruitful"

"WHAT?! NARUTO, YOU DO REALIZE HOW DANGEROUS THAT TRAINING GROUND IS, DON'T YOU?!" cried the Hokage, shivering at the thought of a young boy inside that forest.

"To anybody else, yeah. But to me, the place seemed peaceful compared to the village. No glares, no shouts, it was the only place I felt truly safe. And there were lots of things I got from there, like this ninjato" said the genin while unsheathing said blade. "That's the reason no corpse has anything by the end of the exams, or no weapons and scrolls are laying around"

The Hokage was flabbergasted. Here was a recently graduated genin, saying the most feared training ground throughout the elemental nations, that even ANBU try to evade if possible, was peaceful! He was outraged. But something about what Naruto said just sounded... Wrong.

"Wait, Naruto, did you say corpse? As in, dead human body?" asked the Kage

"Well, it would be pretty hard to take weapons and money off a living person, now wouldn't it? I even finished off some chunin aspirants who were too injured to survive much longer, anyway. It was merciful killing, if you ask me. Didn't enjoy killing them, though. I wouldn't have made my first kill if the guy hadn't begged me to do it" said Naruto calmly, but with a bit of sorrow. "They don't haunt me, but I still think maybe I could've done more. My first kill haunted me for years, but eventually I managed to find myself again. Kind of"

That was it, thought Sarutobi. He pulled out a bottle of sake and took a huge sip. Here was his pseudo-grandson, who he thought protected, saying he had killed before even entering the academy and got out of shock alone. He now realized that Naruto didn't have a childhood. _"Minato, Kushina, I have failed you"_

"I'm sorry, Naruto. If I had known, I would've done something. But what I don't understand is, why hide your strength? Surely you could have scared the villagers into leaving you alone?"

"If I had shown any sign of getting strong, the villagers would've killed me. Now, however, I'm a shinobi. That means off-limits. Anything else you want to know?" said Naruto. Sarutobi shook his head, so the blonde took the floor. "Okay, then I want to know something. You see, Kura-Chan told me something that I believe I deserved to know before. Jiji, why didn't you tell me that my parents were Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina?"

Sarutobi was blown away. Here was his charge, asking him about the one best kept secret in the whole village! Damn that Kyuubi, Minato didn't want Naruto to know until he mad chunin! Nonetheless, the cat was out of the bag.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but you father wanted it like that. Both Minato and Kushina made a lot of enemies. So Minato told me that I couldn't tell you about your parents until you were at least chunin..." started Sarutobi, only to be cut off

"But you could've told me they were ninja, at least! I woke up every morning wondering if my parents were truly a coward and a whore! If they loved me, or had abandoned me! I have a shrine with their names in my hideout, and I used to pray every day and night for them to come back! I wanted to at least know they loved me! Why did you let me suffer like that!? Why!?" asked a crying Naruto. With that, Sarutobi concluded that this was his greatest failure ever. He had failed this boy and his parents in every way conceivable.

"Naruto, I'm sorry. I made an enormous mistake, and know I'll never be able to make it back to you. Thanks for showing me how you truly feel, instead of showing me a mask" The old leader hugged the emotionally exhausted genin. He had messed up, but now was time to start setting things right. Walking up to the Hokage vault, he picked up some scrolls and a picture. "Naruto, this is your parent's legacy, or at least the part entrusted to me. The rest is inside the Namikaze household. Now, I can't give you the house until I sort out a lot of paperwork, but this, I can give to you now. The two black scrolls are letters left by your parents. They were done amidst the attack, minutes before the sealing. The other two scrolls are the Uzumaki and Namikaze clan scrolls. They are a lot bigger, but one of your father's genius inventions shrinks them and makes them impossible to open by one without their blood. The last one is the only known family photo of the Uzumaki-Namikaze family"

At that Naruto lifted his face to look at the picture. In it, he saw his father in full Hokage robe, hat and all, smiling at a red-haired woman. The woman was incredibly beautiful, in his opinion comparable to Hinata or Kurama. She was smiling at her husband, while her hands were rubbing her belly, showing she was pregnant. He smiled, thinking about how his life would have been if they were still alive. A lot happier, and completely different to how it had happened, he thought.

"Thanks, jiji. Thank you for giving me this. Now, I'm tired, so I'm going to rest a bit. I'll start missions tomorrow. Thank you for giving me this. And also, why don't you have Kagebushins help with the paperwork?" Naruto told the leader, smiling through the tears, before leaving.

When Sarutobi heard the blonde's suggestion, he mentally cursed himself.

_"Damn you, Minato. You knew all the time and kept the secret about how to defeat the paperwork, why didn't you tell me?!" _mumbling about troublesome blondes, he thought about what had just happened, and concluded one single thing.

"I'm getting too old for this shit"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto rushed to his hideout. He didn't want anyone to find out about what happened in the Hokage's office. And if any villager saw the scrolls, they would try to steal them to give them to their 'precious Uchiha'. Like hell. There was no way the Uchiha was getting HIS clan scrolls.

Quickly entering his hideout, he sealed the entrance and ran to a secluded room, away from noises and other things. It was probably some kind of quarter before, but now, it had been turned into Naruto's equivalent of a happy place. Here he had the shrine to his parents, in which he placed the family photo. The walls were decorated with drawings of all kinds, showing images of himself and how he imagined his parents were. He smiled, since he wasn't that far off. On the ground there was a futon, in which he laid down to rest. Opening the first of the black scrolls, he started reading.

Hey Naruto. When you read this, I'll probably be long gone, sadly. I'm sad about this turn of events, but I had no choice. How could I ask another parent to give up their son or daughter, if I was unwilling to offer my own? I couldn't. And I know I'm condemning you to loneliness. Kushi-Hime told me about the life of jinchurikis, so I know, and can only hope the village follows my wishes and sees you as a hero. However, deep down, I know that it won't happen. And that I'm condemning my cute son, the one who is trying to bite my thumb off right now, to a lonely life. However, I want you to know, no matter who you decide to become, or what you think about yourself, that I love you with all my heart and will always be proud of you, my dear son.

Naruto, Kurama approaches. I know she doesn't want to do this, and neither do I want to seal her. But there is no other way. Say hi to her for me, okay? And that I thank her for helping my dear Kushi-Hime. Son, I love you, and even from the belly of the shinigami, I'll be watching you grow. Stay strong, Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto, and goodbye.

Your dad, Minato

Naruto could see that it was all scribbled with haste, and a few dried up tears were present in the parchment. He held the scroll close to himself, clutching it tightly like a teddy bear. He could almost feel his father's hand on his shoulder, and hear him say that he was proud of him. Tears fell from his eyes when he remembered that it would never happen. Composing himself enough to move, he picked the second scroll and opened it.

Sochi, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry you had to go through all the pain and all the loneliness I did! That was the one thing I never wanted none of my kids to have! Sochi, I love you with all my heart, all my love, and every time I realize that I won't see you say your first words, your first steps, I won't see you pull pranks on everyone, I won't get to be at your academy graduation, or your marriage, it hurts so bad! I can't imagine what you have been through, and how Kura-Chan must be feeling. Promise me you'll take good care of my good friend. Oh who am I kidding, you will for certain. You're so cute and I... I'm... I love you, my little maelstrom.

Sochi, I have to go. It seems my time has run out. I'm happy. At least I got to see your first smile. Naruto, don't you ever doubt the fact that I love you, and that I'll always be with you. Always, dattebane! So promise me you won't allow them to break you, and remember there is always someone that loves you. Like me, only I won't have a body to give you comforting hugs. Goodbye, my beautiful son. I love you

Mommy.

Now Naruto couldn't even say a word. Every time he opened his mouth, only sobs escaped. But he smiled through the tears, proud that he was crying. Since every tear was a representation of how much he loved his parents. Parents that loved him back. Inside his head, he could hear sobs, and guessed Kurama was also crying from happiness. Hugging both scrolls tightly against himself, he fell asleep, truly asleep, for the first time in ages. A content smile graced his features.

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Naruto woke up a little before six. Remembering his date with Hinata, he quickly changed into some spare clothes, the same as his normal outfit, and ran out of his underground complex. When he arrived at Ichiraku's, he found Kiba trying to kiss Hinata, who was trying to push him away. However, she seemed to be losing his strength. And what was worse, there was a kunai stuck in the booth, as if threatening that if someone interfered, he'll attack them. This got Naruto really angry. And when Kiba finally got close to Hinata, instead of kissing her mouth, he received a punch in the mouth, which sent him flying against one of the booth's columns. Standing up, Kiba saw that it was Naruto who punched him.

"What are you doing, dobe?" he snarled. But again all he received was a cold glare

"I told you, Inuzuka. But it seems you can't hear shit. I told you that if you ever tried to force yourself on a woman ever again, you'd have to face me. But here you are, trying to force yourself on MY date as she waits for ME. It seems some people are too stupid to understand with words. Come at me, mutt, if you dare. You won't be able to even scratch me" Naruto taunted, hoping to anger Kiba.

Said genin was really angry at the moment, and ignored Akamaru, who had warned him not to fight the blond that smelled like a fox. However, Kiba was convinced Naruto was the 'dead-last', clanless, and lower to him. And besides, the crowd of villagers who surrounded them kept saying they wanted to see the 'demon' bleed, and things alike, thus making him overconfident. Ignoring his partner, Kiba rushed at Naruto faster than an academy student could react to. But Naruto was no simple academy student, and just as Kiba started moving, Naruto had already unsheathed his ninjato. In one fell move, he hit Kiba in the sternum with the pommel, knocking all air out of him. Kiba fell down, in the middle of the street, and couldn't stand up again. Naruto walked to his side, sheathed his ninjato, and crouched.

"Kiba, if I ever, ever, EVER see you trying to force yourself or hurt anyone I care about, there won't be anything left of you for your clan to bury. Maybe I'll have some dogs eat you. Would be extremely ironic, eh Mr. _Top Dog?_" you could feel the sarcasm in Naruto's voice. There was so much of it; a deaf man would have felt it emanating from the blonde. Naruto then stood up, and walked to Hinata.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Hina-chan, but don't worry. He's okay, well at least alive, I guess. However, if he ever tries to force himself on you, I won't be so lenient. I'm sorry for that, Akamaru, but your partner is an idiot" said Naruto to the pale-eyed girl and the dog. Akamaru barked back, which Naruto surprisingly understood as 'I'm sorry, Alpha-Sama, but he just won't learn'. It seemed Akamaru respected him quite a bit.

Hinata, though, was in a complete emotional turmoil. She was overflowing with happiness about the fact that Naruto had protected her. And whenever he called her Hina-Chan, she pretty much squealed while blushing beet red. However, composing herself, she managed to send him a small smile and a 'thank you'. Together, they said bye to Ayame and Teuchi, and left to the place Naruto had chosen for their date, leaving Kiba to face his humiliation.

Kiba, though, still couldn't stand up, and was forced to hear as the villagers laughed at the supposed 'Inuzuka' who was defeated by the academy dobe. Their laughter was a huge blow to his ego, and right there, he decided two things. First, Hinata would be his. No matter what the rest of the world thought. He wanted her so he will have her. And second, the Uzumaki was going to pay for his humiliation. No one humiliates an Inuzuka and gets away with it. Standing up after several attempts, he ran to his clan compound, Akamaru running behind him while whining about his partner's stupidity.

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A/N: Well, that's that. I hope it was better, or at least decent? Oh well, no matter. And also, this fic will be pretty dark, and heavy. So those who don't like that, too bad. As usual, please read and review? If you don't then I'll find you… just kidding guys. I hope you guys enjoyed the read, and I'm grateful for the opinion of those who reviewed.

Thanks for the support, VZ out.


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